Austria carried out its first removal to Afghanistan since 2021 of an Afghan man, who was granted subsidiary protection in the first instance in 2011
He was convicted twice of serious sexual offences and grievous bodily harm and sentenced to two years and six months' imprisonment in 2017. Consequenlty, the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum BFA revoked his subsidiary protection status in May 2018 and issued a return decision with a six-year entry ban. The appeal against this decision was dismissed by the Federal Administrative Court in December 2018. In September 2019, the man was sentenced again to 16 months' imprisonment for grievous bodily harm. While in custody, he submitted a second asylum application, which was rejected by the BFA. In this case, the Federal Administrative Court upheld the BFA's decision.
After his release from prison in September 2021 (Kabul was taken over by the Taliban in August 2021), he applied for asylum in Germany. In October 2021, he was transferred back to Austria from Germany in accordance with the Dublin III Regulation. He then submitted a third asylum application in Austria. After being referred back by the Federal Administrative Court, this was finally rejected by the BFA in October 2024 and an entry ban was issued. On appeal, the Federal Administrative Court confirmed the BFA's decision in May 2025.
He was arrested on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the BFA and subsequently presented to the Afghan authorities. In September 2025, he was identified as an Afghan national and the Afghan authorities agreed to issue a home travel certificate.
The BFA conducts technical discussions with all countries of origin of persons required to leave the country in order to establish or expand effective cooperation on returns and to obtain the issuance of home travel certificates. For this reason, representatives of the Afghan administration visited Vienna in September 2025. As part of the technical discussions, an identification meeting was held with 30 Afghan nationals who were interviewed and who were required to leave the country because they had committed criminal offences.